Tuesday, April 25, 2017

WHAT PRICE SANITY?

This weekend I am attending the Brothers In Spirit men's retreat in Alfred, Maine. Flyers and details are available at the NA Maine website under "Events." The theme is Guilt & Shame and what to do with them. Both are prime setups to go back to using ("If you'd done what I did, you'd use, too.")

Even if you do not attend the retreat, the program is published below mainly because it's fairly self-explanatory and make excellent topics for meetings, sponsorship discussions, or just plain writing.

Friday's Program:

about
brothers IN SPIRIT

Welcome, a little about
Brothers in Spirit, about our theme, and a time to meet and share.

Saturday's Program:

Guilt,
shame, & the payoff

What is guilt? What is shame? How
does the disease of addiction use these to encourage relapse.

letting
go of shame

To let it go we have to pick it up.
Using sharing, sponsors, friends, and Steps Six and Seven as parts of letting go of
shame.

RESOLVING
GUILT

Clearing past wreckage using Steps Eight and Nine

FOCUS
ON FORGIVENESS

Forgiving the guilt and shame we put
on others, and forgiving ourselves: Resolving resentments.

Sunday's Program:

HAPPY,
JOYOUS, AND FREE

Without resentment, shame, and guilt what's left is a future
as a human dealing with problems instead of medicating them, keeping the way
clear for happiness, serenity, and fulfillment. Step Ten, hope, and keeping
growth in recovery

About Me

Clean and sober since December of 1981 by traveling some strange and interesting paths. Author of SAINT MARY BLUE, about a group of patients making their way through rehab, and YESTERDAY'S TOMORROW, Recovery Meditations For Hard Cases.
~~~If you heard a good one at a meeting or from someone in the program, eMail it to me using the CONTACT BARRY link, please. Someone else might find your contribution enough of a reason to put off the nightmare for another twenty-four hours.
~~~This blog allows viewer comments, and we do want yours. Share your experience, strength, and hope. Someone may need them.